Thaddeus Radell reviews the exhibition Philip Guston: A Centennial Exhibition at McKee Gallery, New York, on view through April 20th, 2013. Impressed by the show, though not by every picture in it, Radell writes that the exhibition "is an inspiring, if problematic, offering from one of the most pictorially demanding and ‘image-ridden’ painters of the
John Seed interviews painter Anne Harris on the occasion of her exhibition of new paintings at Alexandre Gallery, New York, on view from April 6 through May 11, 2013. Seed writes: "The gradual evanescence of Harris's imagery is occurring as a feature of what she acknowledges is a 'long standing evolution.' She confides that 'over
James Panero reviews six exhibitions currently on view in New York: Thornton Willis: Steps at Elizabeth Harris Gallery (through April 13), Painted on 21st Street: Helen Frankenthaler from 1950 to 1959 at Gagosian Gallery (through April 13), Sanford Wurmfeld: Color Visions 1966–2013 at the Hunter College/Times Square Gallery (through April 20), Judith Braun: May I
Henry Samelson visits the studio of painter Benjamin King. Samelson writes that King's works "dig into metaphysical terrain, but are also firmly rooted in the materials and physical process of painting, not to mention the planet outside his studio." Describing works in the studio, Samelson notes: "A larger canvas against another wall extends the metaphor
Christopher Joy talks to exhibition curators Dina Deitsch and Evan J. Garza talk about Paint Things: Beyond the Stretcher at the DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, MA, on view through April 21, 2013. Garza comments: "This exhibition really originated, I think, with a conversation about Jessica Stockholder's work. Jessica has been working in a very
Christopher Knight reviews the exhibition Brad Eberhard (dis-solve) at Thomas Solomon Gallery, Los Angeles, on view through Apr 20, 2013. Knight writes: "'Way Out,' the most beautiful of the six [paintings on view], is a cave painting. Blood-red pigment was poured along the upper edge of the 4-foot-square canvas and ran down the surface, recalling
Valerie Brennan interviews painter Brian Edmonds about his work and practice. Edmonds remarks: "I am currently working on a series of panels ranging in size from 12 x 12 in. to 48 x 48 in. The hard surface lends itself to mark making and aggressive methods. The paintings are loosely based on maps, historical references,
Altoon Sultan vists two exhibitions of abstract painting: Painting Advanced at Edward Thorp Gallery (through April 20) and Andrew Masullo at Mary Boone Gallery (through April 27, 2013). The two shows, Sultan writes, "got me thinking about how important the quality of paint was to me: paint itself, how it looks, how it works, how
Virginia Billeaud Anderson interviews painter Lucinda Cobley on the occasion of the exhibition Lucinda Cobley: Sequence at Wade Wilson Art, Houston, TX, on view through April 27, 2013. Anderson writes that "Cobley is intellectually engaged with her process of painting and printing on transparent materials such as etched glass and clear plastic. The artist possesses
John Yau blogs about the work of Catherine Murphy, on view at Peter Freeman, Inc., New York thorugh April 27, 2013. Yau writes: "Murphy doesn’t generalize, doesn’t develop shorthand for her subjects, doesn’t use paint in any way that announces painterliness or style. Rather, she does something far more difficult and demanding — she remains
William Eckhardt Kohler reviews the exhibition Matt Bollinger: Bed on the Floor at Zürcher Studio, New York, on view through April 28, 2013. Kohler writes that the works in the show (which include an installation and collage works) address "the theme of despair and loss... a slow moving katabasis; the dystopic descent of bottoming out,
Sharon Butler posts a defense of the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, written by painter Thomas Germano. Germano questions the prevailing tendency to dismiss Pre-Raphaelite painting: "While some will dismiss Pre-Raphaelite art as illustrative because they were the first artists to employ the new technology of photography in their art, the use of photography today
Thomas Micchelli reviews the exhibition Baker Overstreet: Frown Upside Down at Fredericks & Freiser, New York, on view through March 30, 2013. Micchelli writes: "Overstreet’s symmetrical designs, built up over time, with traces of previous decisions establishing the bases for further formulations, emerge as an infrastructure for channeling the wellspring’s flow. The paintings’ resemblance to
As part of his blog series In Process, Paul Behnke posts about the development of the recent painting And the Vital Vigor Stood it's Ground (2013) by painter Matthew Neil Gehring. Behnke writes that: "Gehring's use of color and form combine to produce a visual deception bordering on Op Art. However, these works offer more
Jeffrey Collins posts two essays on painting associated with two artists associated with the Radical Painting Group: Frederic Matys Thursz and Joseph Marioni. Matys Thursz, in his essay Leger's Palette writes: "To make paintings, I apply the best paint I know to the best linen I can obtain. Alone, I am witness to its making.
Jane Durrell profiles painting Tyler Wilkinson who is currently an Artist in Residence at Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati. Commenting on figurative painting Wilkinson notes: "You can connect more strongly there... Since the first figures were drawn on the cave walls of Lascaux in southern France mankind has been obsessed with the human experience. Figurative paintings transcend
John Seed interviews painter Domenic Cretara, whose work is on view at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA through April 14, 2013. Seed writes that Cretara is a "narrative painter who comes from the heart, Cretara's work fuses the personal with the theatrical, and channels emotions ranging from nostalgia to tenderness to
Bradley Rubenstein reviews the exhibition Susanna Heller: Phantom Pain at Magnan Metz Gallery, New York, on view through April 20, 2013. Rubenstein writes: "Heller's painting presents a journey of sorts... Traveling in a painting is not linear, and one must be willing to take the time to travel. Painting also embodies this place: the seeming
Tamar Zinn considers the limitations and potential of painting in black and white. Zinn writes that "painting in black and white is not the same as thinking in black and white. By painting in black and white, the artist has pared down one part of image-making -- color choice, but rather than certainty we are
Brian Fee reviews the exhibition Painting Advanced at Edward Thorp Gallery, New York, on view through April 20, 2013. The show features paintings by Andrea Belag, Jim Lee, Rachel Malin, Andrew Spence, and Gary Stephan. The gallery press explains that the exhibition "addresses the ever-expanding range of complexity in recent abstract painting... [and seeks] to